The Power of Friendship
by ChoCedric
Summary: What started out as an evening of fun and games quickly turns into one of the most defining nights in the lives of James, Sirius, and Peter. It's the night when they know for sure that something's off about Remus. All three boys make a promise that no matter what it takes, they will find out Remus's secret, and they'll help him get through it, always remaining by his side.


Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: I got sudden inspiration to write this one. Please let me know what you think!

The Power of Friendship

By: ChoCedric

Sirius Black, scion of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, could not have been happier as he playfully wrestled with his three best friends inside their first-year Gryffindor dormitory. And he felt less like a Black than he ever had before, which made him grin wickedly.

Ever since he had been sorted into Gryffindor at the beginning of the year, he had felt relaxed and content. This was where he truly needed to be – never mind his family and their stuffy dinner parties where they all dressed in formal robes and talked in arrogant, superior tones about the purity of their blood and how filthy Muggles were. Even as a child, Sirius had hated living with his foul, screeching mother, his withdrawn, stuck-up father, and his bigoted, snobby brother. He had desperately wanted to find his niche, and here at Hogwarts, he had finally discovered it.

When he'd met James Potter, he'd felt as though he'd found his long-lost brother. They got along like two peas in a pod, and they'd discovered the fun they could have with their pranks. When they bounced ideas off of each other, it was as though they shared a single brain.

Peter Pettigrew, the third person in their group, worshipped them. He did whatever they did, said whatever they said, and neither James nor Sirius could deny that it made them feel good. Peter was always more than willing to be in on their mischief-making; their pranks were always better with him around.

And then, there was Remus Lupin. The only word Sirius could really use to describe him was ... different. When they'd first met the small, frail-looking boy, he had been reluctant to get to know them. But James and Sirius had been determined to get him out of his shell, and worked relentlessly throughout the year to do just that.

And after a while, he had finally let them in. It was a huge asset to have him around, and the other three enjoyed his company immensely. He was always doing something to make them laugh; his sense of humor was one of a kind. At times, he seemed to disapprove of their pranks, but the others always, always convinced him to lighten up, and in the end, he always listened. Sometimes they would catch him looking at them in wide-eyed wonder, as though he couldn't believe they were hanging out with someone like him.

Of all of Remus's interesting quirks, it was this one that made the three boys wonder. Why was the boy so shocked to have friends? Why did he always look at them as though he would lose them at any moment? Why couldn't he see that they were here to stay?

Maybe, Sirius had thought, it has something to do with his home life. Because another thing about him was that he would disappear once a month. He was always claiming that his mother was ill, and he needed to go home to take care of her. For the first little while, James, Sirius, and Peter had bought the excuse, but now they weren't so sure. Every time Remus returned from these outings, he always looked pale and exhausted, as though he had been through a terrible ordeal. Could Remus be hiding a horrible secret? If so, the others vowed to find out what it was. Their need to know had grown more apparent just yesterday, when Remus had told them that he needed to leave again tomorrow evening.

But for now, they tried to forget their worry as they spent a night of fun together. The year was almost over, and they promised themselves that they would make the best of the time they had left.

So the boys continued to wrestle around on the floor, laughing and joking and carrying on. Little were they to know, though, that this would be one of the most defining nights of their lives.

It all started when Sirius advanced on Remus, trying to pin him to the ground. "You think you can pull one over me?" he grinned evilly. "Think again, my friend!"

But Remus, with surprising strength for one who looked so frail, would not let himself be defeated. The next thing Sirius knew, he was pinned to the ground instead. How in Heaven's name could Remus be so strong?

But also, how in Heaven's name could Sirius have suspected that the way Remus would react to the next words to come out of his mouth would be a huge clue to discovering the secret he was hiding?

"You monster, Remus!" Sirius screamed dramatically. "For Merlin's sake, let me go!"

And Remus did. As a matter of fact, he let Sirius go extremely quickly, as though he had been burned. Sirius sat up, and he had a sudden inkling that something was off.

The room went silent as all three boys looked at Remus, who had turned away from them. Sirius felt a sudden jolt go through him as he, for one moment, caught the look in his friend's eyes. It was one of heartbreak, of pain, of complete devastation. Within seconds, though, he tried to cover it up with a weak smile.

"Remus, what is it? What did I do? What did I say?" Sirius asked, completely bewildered.

"It's nothing, guys. I'm all right," Remus said, but his voice was shaking a little. He turned back around to face them and plastered a bigger smile onto his face, but his friends saw that it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Remus, something Sirius said upset you," James insisted. "What is it?"

"Honestly, it's nothing," Remus replied, and Sirius was truly frightened when he heard pure desperation in the other boy's voice, desperation for his friends to leave the subject alone. "I'm okay. Who wants a game of Exploding Snap?"

The other three exchanged meaningful looks, making a promise amongst themselves that they would not bring this up again tonight, but even if it was the last thing they did, they would eventually find out what had upset their friend so much. Why was he so sensitive about being called a monster, even if it was all in fun?

Xxx

Later that night, Remus lay trembling in his bed. A few minutes ago, he'd started to feel very unwell. As he tossed and turned, trying to get comfortable, the thought that plagued his mind was: Not now, not now, why does this have to happen now?

Remus knew the illness that was coming over his body. This had never happened at Hogwarts before, but sometimes, the night before the full moon, when the wolf was almost at the surface, his human body began to fight the lycanthropy, trying to get it out of him. His immune system would be under the impression that it was something foreign that could be fought, even though it couldn't. Most of the time when this happened, he would remain ill until the following night's transformation. Of all nights, why was it tonight that this occurred, when he knew his friends were already suspicious of him?

Once again, he cursed himself for reacting the way he had to Sirius calling him a monster. He knew it had been said in a joking fashion, but the fear of Sirius calling him that and really meaning it was a constant thought in his mind. He knew, by the looks on his friends' faces, that they were coming closer and closer to demanding a real explanation for his absences, that they were having a harder and harder time buying the excuse that his mother was ill. Merlin, what was he going to tell them? What was he going to do?

And with those terrifying thoughts in mind, Remus finally drifted into an uneasy sleep, still plagued with nausea and dizziness.

Xxx

As soon as James Potter woke up, he knew it was not time to get ready for the day yet. The clock on his bedside table proclaimed it was only 1:30 in the morning, after all. So why had he woken up?

His mind slowly started going over the events of the previous evening. As he thought it over, one thing kept circling around and around in his mind. Remus.

There was something really, really off about Remus. After Sirius's monster comment and through the following games of Exploding Snap, James knew Remus's mind had not really been with them. Even though he had tried to continue joking and laughing and messing around with them, James knew that Remus's mind had been consumed by dark thoughts.

Slowly, he got out of bed and walked over to Remus's. I won't wake him up, I'll just check on him, he decided resolutely. I need to know that he's okay.

He parted the curtains on Remus's bed, and took a look at the other boy. The moment he did, he thanked Merlin for his subconscious.

Remus was lying in bed, his entire body trembling, and he was also sweating profusely. My God, something's really wrong here, James thought as he reached out a hand to touch the other boy's skin. The moment he did, he recoiled in alarm.

In a flash, he was parting the curtains on Sirius's bed and shaking him. "Sirius! Sirius, wake up, now!" he implored.

"What?" Sirius woke jerkily, his eyes flying open. "James, what is it?"

"We have to get Remus to Madame Pomfrey. He's really ill," James said, his voice full of concern. "I just checked on him, and he's burning up. He's got a really high temperature, Sirius. Something's wrong with him."

At this, Sirius was up in an instant. "I'll wake Peter," he said without any hesitation. "You go back to Remus, okay?"

"Yeah," James answered as he rushed back to Remus's bed. "Remus? Remus?" he said gently once he arrived there. "Remus, you need to wake up so we can take you to Madame Pomfrey. You're really ill."

Slowly, Remus's eyes fluttered open, but he immediately closed them again as he moaned in pain.

James felt his heart clench as he looked at his fragile friend before him. "It's okay, Rem," he soothed gently. "Sirius is just waking Peter now. We're going to get you to Pomfrey, and she'll make you better in no time. It's going to be okay."

"I ... I don't want to go to Madame Pomfrey," Remus protested weakly.

"Remus, you can't stay here like this," Sirius said as he and Peter arrived at Remus's bed as well. "We don't have any potions in here to make you well again, and we're not going to leave you to suffer. I'm sure Madame Pomfrey has fever-reducing potions, and something to make you sleep deeply. You look really awful, we can't let you stay sick like this."

Sighing in resignation, Remus nodded. He once again gazed at his friends with that same look of disbelief, disbelief that they cared about him so much.

Sirius, James, and Peter proceeded to help Remus get out of bed, and with him leaning against them, they walked out of the room. James threw his Invisibility Cloak over all of them; the last thing he knew Remus wanted was for anyone to see him in a state like this. And so they walked like that, all the way to the hospital wing. Remus still looked awful, still trembling and sweating as the fever consumed him. "It's okay, we're almost there," James reassured him. "Not much further now."

Eventually, blessedly, they reached the wing. James took the Invisibility Cloak off them and put it in his pocket. He opened the doors, and all three boys helped Remus inside.

"Madame Pomfrey! Madame Pomfrey!" Sirius called as they helped Remus stagger over to a bed. "Madame Pomfrey!"

And soon enough, Poppy Pomfrey appeared before them. Taking one look at Remus, she immediately knew what the problem was. "Stand back, boys," she ordered as she ran her wand over him, performing diagnostic spells. The results were just as she thought; his body was fighting the lycanthropy.

"What's wrong with him?" Sirius asked, his voice full of concern. "Will he be okay?"

Madame Pomfrey knew Remus's three friends didn't know of his condition, so she had to give them an answer which was untrue, although it made her uncomfortable to do it. "Remus is fighting a virus," she said softly. "He is very sick at the moment, but with some potions and a lot of rest, he will be okay again. And you three have to let him heal," she continued, looking at them meaningfully. "So you must leave him be."

Remus's friends looked at each other, then at Remus, at this statement. It was plain to see that none of them wanted to leave their friend like this.

"She's right, guys," Remus said weakly after a few seconds of silence. "It'll do you no good to stay here. Madame Pomfrey knows what she's doing. I'll be all right, I promise."

All three boys looked at their friend, who was being so strong through all this. "Okay, we'll go," Sirius said finally. "But not until you fall asleep."

Madame Pomfrey looked at them intently, then nodded. As she bustled away to get the required potions, she felt her heart squeeze. James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew were totally devoted to Remus Lupin, she could see that in their expressions, in the way they looked at him. She could only hope that if they ever discovered the truth of his condition, they would continue to be.

Within seconds, she returned to Remus's side and was bringing the vials to his lips so he could drink them. He drank the fever reducer first, grimacing at the foul taste, which made the boys chuckle a little. Remus smiled in return, even through his haze of dizziness and exhaustion.

And as he was about to drink the sleeping potion, he gave his friends a look of such gratitude that it made their hearts clench again. Right before he put it to his lips, he said, "Thanks, guys ... for everything."

"It's okay," James said as he smiled at the other boy. "That's what friends do, Remus. Now drink up so you can go to sleep. The quicker you rest, the quicker you'll get better."

And so, with one last, long look, Remus drank the sleeping potion. He lay down in the bed, and within seconds, it had taken effect. Remus Lupin was fast asleep.

For a few long moments, James, Sirius, and Peter gazed at their friend, and then they looked at each other. A silent pact was made, a promise that they would find out what it was that Remus Lupin was living through. And whatever it was, they vowed not to leave his side, not for as long as they lived.

And this thought stayed in their minds as they walked from the hospital wing back to their dormitory. Nothing would ever make them part from Remus Lupin.

Nothing at all.


End file.
